A review by mandyk
Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin

5.0

I loved this just as much, if not more than the Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. I love fairy tales and myths, and Grace Lin has such a beautiful way of incorporating threads of Chinese folklore into a new fairy tale. Starry River of the Sky did an amazing job of having many smaller fairytales within the overarching fairytale-esqe story; at first, the fairytales seem unrelated but by the end, they all have a place in the progression of the broader plot. We also got to see some returning side characters from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. This is more than just a retelling, which I also love but usually have a different feel from the traditional fairytales that they are based. Starry River of the Sky (and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon) manages to capture that same atmosphere of the folklore it's incorporating so that it doesn't feel like a rehashing or reboot but instead feels like it fits seamlessly in.
At the end of the book, Grace Lin also includes a list of works that inspired her book, and I am so grateful for that! There are so many books on mythology and folklore, so it's incredibly helpful to have a curated list from the author that she found most useful. I've already placed a hold for a couple of the books through my local library to explore the folklore further.
If you love the whimsy and wonder of fairytales and are looking for some new ones, you must pick this up.